California's Central Coast Marine Protected Areas - California Sea ...

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Surveys of Shallow-Water Rocky Reef Communities R/MPA-1 June 2007-May 2008 Mark Carr, UC Santa Cruz Summary In this project, scientists quantified fish, benthic invertebrate and macro algal assemblages in kelp forests of the central coast marine protected areas (MPAs) and associated reference sites. The survey design and sampling protocols were modeled after the large-scale, long-term monitoring program developed by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) and incorporated into the Cooperative Research and Assessment of Nearshore Ecosystems (CRANE) program. As in the CRANE program, the project used divers to count fishes, invertebrates and algae. The baseline data collected during this project will make it possible to monitor the effects of the MPAs on kelp forest ecosystems, including commercially and recreationally harvested species. “No one has ever mobilized such a massive survey to characterize kelp forest ecosystems throughout Central California,” says the project’s leader Mark Carr, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. “The sheer amount of detailed data collected for this project is what is truly impressive.” Sites Surveyed Divers surveyed kelp forest habitat between depths of 5 meters (m) and 20 m at 14 MPAs, including Asilomar State Marine Reserve (SMR); Big Creek SMR; Cambria State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA); Carmel Bay SMCA; Carmel Pinnacles SMR; Edward F. Ricketts SMCA; Lovers Point SMR; Natural Bridges SMR; Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA; Point Sur SMR; Point Lobos SMR; Point Buchon SMR and White Rock SMCA. As with the other monitoring projects, a reference site for each MPA was also surveyed. Close-up of a giant kelp blade and snail “No one has ever mobilized such a massive survey to characterize kelp forest ecosystems throughout Central California. The sheer amount of detailed data collected for this project is what is truly impressive.” Steve Lonhart, NOAA SIMoN Mark Carr, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz PISCO divers return to the R/V FULMAR after a survey at Plaskett Rock. Steve Lonhart, NOAA SIMoN Method Each MPA and its reference site were surveyed once between June and October 2007. For each survey, divers swam multiple 30-meter-long transects at multiple depths, identified all conspicuous fishes and noted their sizes (in training workshops they were taught how to do this). They also sampled the species composition and percent bottom cover of macro invertebrates and macro algae along multiple transects. Rock type and vertical relief was also recorded at select sites. Water temperatures were measured throughout the study, too. It is worth noting that these are the same methods being used in MPAs in the Santa Barbara Channel.
PISCO divers at a kelp bed at Weston Cove in the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve Steve Lonhart, NOAA SIMoN pristine ecosystem that we are only now starting to explore in depth.” 2. Kelp canopy cover cannot be used reliably to infer bottom habitat, community structure or otherwise characterize a site. “We have seen too many cases where kelp cover is not a good surrogate,” Lonhart says. “You might see a thick kelp bed at the surface but the site has relatively few fishes, low invertebrate cover and few algal species. Similarly, a site with little kelp cover could have an incredibly rich invertebrate community and lots of fish.” Conclusions This project has led to the collection of a huge amount of statistically rigorous data on kelp forest fishes, algae and invertebrates. The data establish the beginnings of a monitoring program for detecting the effects of the central coast MPAs on kelp forest ecology. Because of this project, scientists can now compare kelp forests at the start of the MPA process. The data may also prove useful in tracking and modeling ecosystem-level responses to fishing and climate change. For detailed information about the survey method visit: http://www.piscoweb.org/research/community/subtidal/ protocols. Data Overview A total of 29 trained divers spent more than 1,200 hours surveying about 7,520 acres of shallow kelp forest habitat. They counted (and sized) about 39,000 fish, representing 56 taxa; 71,000 macro invertebrates, representing 41 taxa and 67,000 canopy-forming kelps, representing nine taxa. Cooperating Organizations NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) Institute for Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve of the UC Natural Reserve System From the raw data, scientists will be able to compute site-specific estimates of fish densities, species richness, relative fish abundances and fish size distributions, as well as relative densities and percent bottom cover of macro invertebrates and algae. Key Observations 1. Kelp forest communities in Central California are not uniform, says Steve Lonhart, a biologist and diver at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, who participated in the project. Geology explains some of the differences. In kelp forests growing on large vertical pinnacles, rich invertebrate communities dominate the bottom. In contrast, sandy channels mixed with carsized boulders and low outcrops create numerous microhabitats. These prevent dominance by either invertebrates or macro algae. Big Sur, for example, provides habitat for several rarely seen species in Monterey Bay. “Diving along the Big Sur coast is an entirely different experience,” Lonhart says. “There is a greater sense of adventure, in part because of the logistics of diving in such a remote location, but also because Big Sur represents a relatively A china rockfish (Sebastes nebulosus) emerges from a crevice. Contact: Mark H. Carr UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Laboratory 831.459.3958 carr@biology.ucsc.edu Steve Lonhart, NOAA SIMoN
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